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Bill Ward, the drummer of Black Sabbath, reminisced about the first time he heard Tony Iommi play guitar, expressing that he was “absolutely amazed” by Iommi’s talent.
Prior to their time in Sabbath, Ward and Iommi performed together in two different bands: The Rest and Mythology. Ward describes Iommi joining The Rest in 1966 as “the best thing that had ever happened to us.”
“In The Rest, we were just thrilled to land a gig,” he shared with Uncut. “We were still in school. I attended Slade Road School, which was nearby. We were lucky enough to play local venues like pubs or anywhere that would host us.
“When Tony joined The Rest, it was truly the best thing that ever happened for us – I was just blown away by his guitar skills. From that point, we moved forward.”
The legendary riffs that would define a genre emerged later, as Iommi, Ward, and the others primarily performed “mostly covers” in The Rest.
“Playing the Hendrix song Hey Joe took everything I had – I was listening to Mitch Mitchell and thinking, ‘Oh my God.’ I had the chance to meet Mitch before he passed away. He was such an amazing person to me – we had a great conversation, like drummers do. Everything was vibrant in Birmingham during that time, with new bands constantly emerging.”
In 1968, Ward and Iommi – along with Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler – formed Black Sabbath, often recognized as the pioneers of heavy metal. Their legacy continues, highlighted by the immense interest in their final show, Back to the Beginning, where the original members will reunite for one last performance at Birmingham’s Villa Park.
As expected, the show sold out rapidly, but more details can be found at ozzy.com.
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